Sasuke blinked, the images of the twin boy's had faded and now, he stood in the tree, bent over by the small shrine. "Mutsuki…and Itsuki…They were forced to do the ritual, yet it doesn't make sense. If they had to do this so called 'sacrifice for the village' then why did Sae and Yae have to do it so early afterward?" Sasuke thought out loud before turning and looking at the exit.
The raven didn't have time for questions, or Naruto's soul would soon be a damned as Sae's. Yet, now he knew that to fix the present, he was going to have to know the past. Re-adjusting Sakura on his back, he took off through the open hole and down the path that it followed. His charcoal eyes darted this way and that way, looking for any signs of danger as they continued down the dirt road that was littered with the leaves of the dead tree's along the path. 'Dead from the malice no doubt…it's getting harder and harder to breath even for me…' Sasuke noted, looking back at Sakura. She wasn't safe in a place like this, especially if she having a hard enough time breathing. His eyes darted back to the path as he saw a set of stone stairs leading up into a small shrine. As he neared the bottom of the stairs; his eyes traveled up to the top; where two ghostly priests stood. 'Are they waiting for me?'
It was risky, but the black haired boy hurried up the steps; hoping that this wasn't a trap and more of a sign from Yae. He kept his eyes trained on the ghosts as he hurried up the steps; his eyes narrowing when they both disappeared into thin air and away from view. Sasuke stopped as he reached the midway point, catching his breath. He was startled when he heard his name being called softly; turning his head to look at Sakura. Her green eyes were faded to a sickly almost yellowish color and her fair skin was cold as she gripped his arm. "I'll walk." She coughed, struggling against the boy's hands on her backside.
"No, you won't. I'm protecting you because that's what everyone would want." He said firmly, re-adjusting her again.
Sakura's eyes lowered as she looked at Sasuke's blue shirt. "Oh, alright…"
"And besides, you're my comrade. I won't let you die." Sasuke said, looking down with the faint tint of scarlet on his face.
He usually didn't do this kind of thing, especially to Sakura. However, he had left the girl in the mansion to be pray for Sae when he should have thought ahead and planned better. "Listen, we need to-"
Sasuke was cut off when he heard a moan behind him. Spinning on his heel quickly, nearly slipping from the cracked stone; he barely had time to duck as a priest swung his staff at his head. "Damn it!" He yelled, setting Sakura down and elbowing the priest in the gut, causing him to howl with protest and stumble back.
"Move Sakura! Move!" He screamed as the images of about a dozen villagers started to climb the stairs; their torches waving and angry expressions on their faces.
He was outnumbered, and without the help of ninjutsu or weapons, he wouldn't be able to do much damage before he was killed. Knocking the priest whom has attacked him once before back again, Sasuke turned back and began to run up the steps towards the shrine. Sakura had only gotten ten stepping stones ahead so far and at that rate, she wasn't going to make it before the villagers got to her. Catching her hand as he ran up the stairs, three at a time, he tried to force the kunoichi to go faster. "Move…Move!" He chanted to her as he felt her weight starting to slow him down. It was to much for her, Sakura slipped on the next set of stones and fell forward, slipping through the raven's fingers. It took more of Sasuke's energy to stop then he had predicted, and he also felt himself falling backwards. Saving himself with a back flip, he managed to land on the stairs with his hands and knee's. The force of falling on this legs hand sent a spiral of pain of them; though at the current moment, he could careless because Sakura was in trouble and she needed him. He cursed as she screamed his name, the villagers surrounding her and making her stand before escorting her down the stairs. "Sak-kura!"
"Sasuke-kun!" The helpless ninja cried as she watched two more priests grabbed up Sasuke by the arms and hair, causing a gasp and yelp of pain from his throat.
Sakura was ready to call out the boy's name again in a desperate attempt until she felt warm arms around her and her sudden being lifted from the ground. She screamed, wondering if the end had finally come; she'd never be able to see Sasuke or Naruto again. "You guys really need to learn when to run away." She heard a familiar voice sigh.
Looking up, she nearly busted into tears when she saw Kakashi's masked face. "Hold on." He suddenly whispered as he headed towards Sasuke.
Swinging out and arm, he felt his spirit being nearly torn in half as he went through the ghost priest and grabbed onto Sasuke, ripping him away from the apparitions. The Jounin didn't stop, continuing until he got to the shrine doors in which he kicked open. Not bothering to look behind him, he threw the doors shut and ran into the darkness of a corner by the shrine. The small space provided cover for him on one side and Sasuke and Sakura on the other. The large shrine had stretched from corner to corner of the room, only leaving small, bearably fit able spaces. Kakashi's eye shut as he heard the doors of the shrine slam open by a powerful wind, probably the force of an strong spirit's aura. Inside a man walked over to the shrine, his gorged out eyes glancing over it. Sasuke peeked his head out of the corner, getting a better look. The man was dressed in older day clothing; his face almost holding a smidge of resemblance to Sae and Yae's. Again, the boy was pulled into the past events as the ghost slowly turned it's head-and headed out of the shrine.
The man that Sasuke had just seen, stood outside of the huge mansion across the lake, smiling at two other men dressed in modern day clothing. He gestured to the men smiling; leading them inside the house. Sasuke followed after the three, wondering what in the world was happening now. "Mister Ryokan Kurosawa; may I ask where Itsuki is?" The older man asked.
'So the ghosts name is Ryokan eh?' Sasuke noted as he followed them, oblivious to all that walked through the restored house. Maids rushed here and there and as he listened to the three in front of him; he picked up bits and pieces of conversations between the household guards and servants.
"The Crimson Ritual…"
"His own daughters…"
"Poor girls don't have a chance…"
"Why'd it come down to this? Why did the brothers fail?"
Sasuke had guessed right. Itsuki's ritual hadn't been successful after all. He could guess why too. 'Itsuki wasn't the one whom killed him…the priest made him do it and he didn't want to…' Sasuke thought to himself as they continued down the hall and into the room in which Sae had attacked Naruto. "…and these are my daughters. Sae, Yae; will you two girls be kind enough to show these men to their rooms? This is…excuse me, I'm bad with names."
"Seijiro Makabe, and this is my assistant." He said gesturing to the younger boy that looked only about Sasuke's age, "How do you do?"
Sae and Yae blushed and fidgeted before they finally led the two men away, though Sasuke stayed and looked over at their father whom turned to a priest. "We are to make that man into a Kusabi. We don't need a folklorist wandering around the village. Itsuki shall not be found in the store house and we must hurry and appease "it" since his ritual failed. Understood?"
Sasuke screamed as flashing of a man being whipped and in pain burned into his mind. Priests tore his flesh open with a dagger, whip, nails, and many other torturous ways. He was then, thrown into the pit Sasuke had kept seeing. 'A Kusabi…does that mean a sacrifice of some sort?'
Sasuke gasped as he was finally released from the vision. The ghost had left and Kakashi finally walked out of his hiding place, indicating it was safe. As Sasuke and Sakura emerged, their sensei sat on the floor and sighed. "That was to damn close."
Sasuke would have laughed if the situation weren't as grave. Kakashi never swore and it was kind of funny. "Where is Naruto?" He asked in a dead serous manner, his eyes accusingly dropping on Sasuke's figure whom turned away.
"Sae…she got him…" The kunoichi whispered, tears streaming down her face though she didn't know how she had the energy to cry.
"I figured. It's as the folklorists journals had told."
"Folklorist? Mister Makabe?" Sasuke suddenly questioned, looking at his instructor.
"Yes that's right. According to his journals there is a ritual that took place here long ago. Apparently there is a pit, an opening to hell if you will, that draws out malice unless it is satisfied with a Sacrifice. The twin girls we keep seeing, Sae and Yae were next in line for the ritual when something happened. I don't know all the details but apparently-"
"She was left behind….as I was…" A chilled voice made all three of the ninja's jump. Naruto stood at the doors, his red eyes locking with Sasuke immediately. "You want to know what happened? I'll show you what happened!" Naruto cackled, slamming his fist into the floor.
White light developed around them and as it cleared; they were back in the forest. Sasuke gasped as he saw Sae, Itsuki, and Yae all run there way. However, they weren't in black and white and Sasuke could clearly make out the terror in their faces. "Run on ahead! I'll distract them!" Itsuki suddenly yelled, causing the two twins to stop in their tracks.
"You can't! You know what they will do to you!" Sae screamed as her sister grabbed her arm and tugged on it in a desperate attempt to get her to move.
"Go Sae….live with your sister the way me and Mutsuki couldn't…go!" He told the girls firmly before running back the way they had came.
In another effort to pull her sister, Yae hugged Sae to her chest. "Come on. We don't have much time. Lets get out of here."
"You won't leave me right?" Sae asked Yae desperately clinging to her.
"I promised you didn't I? Now come on!" She said smiling.
Sasuke watched as the girl disappeared into the forest deeper and deeper, however as they continued, Sae slipped and fell down a slope. Crying out her sister's name, Yae only continued forward. "I'm sorry Sae…"
Sasuke shook his head and ran down the hill, having Sakura and Kakashi chase after him. Sliding down the slope, he reached out for Sae's hand. "Grab it!"
Sae looked up at him and smirked as their surroundings changed and they were in the shrine again. Gripping Sasuke's hand, causing a chill to run through his soul, the girl smirked and embraced him tightly. "My hero…"
